In this cartoon, the vanilla ice cream is trying to convert the other flavors—representing alternative sexuality like gay, bisexual, and transgender...and it seems like one is just black—into being bland vanilla like him. He claims that the ice cream in the sky wants it that way. As ridiculous as this is, the shocking part about it is when the vanilla cone is told that no one wants just vanilla. When he answers that his flavor is what he wants, he is pressured into trying other flavors, which he capitulates to, and it ends in a giant ice cream orgy.

But wait. If sexuality is what you are, then why is it okay to make the heterosexual change his flavor? I thought that wasn't possible. Is Nye suggesting that peer pressure is a good way to get someone to change his or her sexuality? I thought we are supposedly born this way. If that's true, then no amount of coercion should be able to change one's orientation, unlike what happens to poor Mister Vanilla, who is basically gang raped.

The message here is clear (and not at all scientific): Christian, straight white people are bigots, racists and not even straight. Bill Nye offers no proof of that, other than a poorly drawn cartoon about debauched ice cream.

It took me a long time to figure out why the deadly sins are called "deadly." As a young person I often thought the rules of Christianity were stifling and unfair. Much like the flavored ice cream, I too just wanted to do what felt good without consequences. Age and experience with life taught me that sin is simply not good for you and there is no such thing as a consequence-free existence. Much like the ancient rules in the Torah that Orthodox Jews still follow about separating foods, avoiding sin is for our protection. The purpose of warning us of these harmful behaviors is to help us, not to take away our good times. The deadly sins are a good place to start to illustrate this. If you engage in any of the deadly seven—greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, wrath, envy and pride—it is certain your life can spiral out of control. Watch any crime show to see the evidence of the havoc these things wreak on a life including, but not limited to, murder, robbery, fraud, abuse, hatred, rape, narcissism, neglect, suicide, and more. Many have ruined their lives and the lives of others by giving in to what felt good at the moment, and a heavy price was paid by all.

Bill Nye, along with the rest of the entertainment media, is attempting to make lust a virtue. But lust cannot be a virtue any more than gluttony or wrath. Lust leads to addictions to pornography and adultery that destroy families with regularity. It can lead to disease and medical handicaps. The champions of anal sex never mention what a prolapsed rectum looks like (don't Google it). They never talk about fecal incontinence or the consequences that come from participating in and embracing lust as a virtue. Lust also leads to unwanted pregnancies, which lead to abortion and broken relationships. Unchecked lust also leads to child sexual abuse. As of this moment, pedophilia is still taboo, but if Bill Nye has his way, our society will be accepting adults having sex with children in no time. If Nye truly believes "if it feels good do it," then why not with a child? It's the next logical step. Uncontrolled lust has consequences.

The thing that is upsetting about Nye's assessment of Christianity is that he is presupposing that we are out here trying to forcibly convert people against their will. That simply isn't happening. The "gay conversion" therapy they are always harping about is usually sought out by the person who wants the treatment. If a person wants to get therapy to try and change his sexual attraction, should he be denied the therapy he wants? Bill Nye would say yes, and in Illinois, at least, it is illegal to provide such therapy. But at the same time, in his "educational cartoon" Nye suggests that conversion therapy ought to be used on heterosexual Christians, against their will! The vanilla cone says "No!" and yet the others force him into it anyway. Isn't that the same "conversion therapy" they are so against? Offering an alternative way to address the deadly sins, as the Christian faith does by encouraging chastity, prayer, community, and abstinence, does not equal coercion. On the contrary, one of the basics of Christianity is that you must choose to follow Christ. Free will is central to the faith.

It's time to push back against this cancerous message that vice is virtue. God is a loving God who loves his creation and wants us to be happy. We will never find that happiness while trapped in deadly sin. It isn't possible. Natural law forbids it because actions have consequences. If we're going to be scientific, maybe we should ponder Newton's third law of motion which states that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Giving in to lust and living a promiscuous lifestyle may feel good for a time, but eventually natural law demands that a price must be paid. Participating in vice brings negative consequences. A person doesn't have to believe in God to see that traditionally "sinful" behavior has an aftermath which is evident to all around us. Our laws are based on the Ten Commandments for good reason. People who obey those rules carved in stone generally avoid winding up in prison or worse. Whether or not you believe in an afterlife, obeying God's rules will help you live a good life on earth, full of peace, joy, and real and lasting love, not the fleeting love of orgies and disposable encounters. Don't fall for the lie Bill Nye is selling.